Munday and Cramer

Category Archives: News

How Can We Support Young and Aspiring Architects Over the Next Year?


There haven’t exactly been many winners over the past year or so. The pandemic has thwarted plans at every turn – across every industry and not just architecture. Our attention has been turned towards the work undertaken by keyworkers, and unquestionably rightly so. The architecture industry has also played an important role, however. The adaptation of healthcare buildings has drastically minimised levels of contact. Similarly, the reshuffling of hospitality settings has meant that they might continue to operate, albeit at reduced capacity in many cases. Such concerted efforts, however, have meant that architects on the entry-level of the field have […]

Architects at work.

What Homebuyers Are Looking For In 2021 According To Our Surveyors


House prices are on the rise, unprecedentedly so. The extended stamp duty holiday brought in to help during the Coronavirus pandemic (along with other more complex economic drivers) has led to a buoyant market atmosphere in which house prices are increasing at their fastest rate seen in years. Clearly, then, the demand is there – but what exactly is it that consumers are demanding? At Munday + Cramer, we offer an extensive suite of surveying services, including homebuyer reports. We asked our surveyors what homebuyers have said to them that they’re most looking for in a property, and why. Garden […]

An image of yellow garden flowers to represent homebuyers increasingly looking towards garden space as a priority.

Permitted Development Rights: What’s Allowed? (And What’s Not?)


As a homeowner, knowing what you can (and can’t) do without planning permissions can be altogether mystifying. Most are aware of the existence of permitted developments – those works which can be carried out without planning permissions – but as for what constitutes a permitted development? Well, that’s another story. Here at Munday + Cramer, we offer a variety of surveying services – including homebuyer’s survey – we thought it’d be helpful to run through both what’s allowed… and what’s not. What Is A Permitted Development? Permitted developments are exactly what they say on the tin; works permitted without needing […]

Building surveying: an extension to represent permitted developments

Bid Applications: Unpacking The New Post-16 Capacity Fund


To cater to a predicted increase in the 16-19 year-old demographic, the UK Government recently announced a new capital funding scheme intended for institutions that offer Further Education (FE). The rollout of the new scheme coincides with the UK’s broader commitment to its ‘levelling up’ agenda; an initial £83 million has been set aside for the scheme’s first year, with the hope of striking a longer-term deal for funding in the near future. The team here at Munday + Cramer offer extensive support for bid applications in the south-east, ranging from CIF funding to Salix loans. We wanted to pick […]

Architectural Design: The Rise Of Green Buildings


Architectural biodiversity has been around for a while as a concept, however it’s only really started taking root over the past decade or so. Biodiversity, in an architectural context, revolves around the interweaving of several different environmental ‘threads’, including the materials used within a building (and how they’re sourced), its effects on surrounding flora and fauna, as well as the resources needed to then sustain a building upon completion (in terms of energy and water, for instance). Here at Munday + Cramer, we offer extensive architectural design services as a firm; we wanted to look at this burgeoning environmental trend […]

Architectural Design: What Are The Most Common Planning Objections?


If ever you’ve had to apply for planning permissions, you’ll know just how nerve-wracking the wait for the results can be. The reason? It’s not at all uncommon for planning applications to get rejected, and planning objections are often the cause. The team here at Munday + Cramer offers both architectural design and building surveying services throughout the entire south-east; we wanted to look at some of the most common valid planning objections cited, as well as the objections typically founded on invalid assumptions/grounds. Proposed Development Contravenes Planning Policy The most common objections to planning applications occur, not unsurprisingly, when […]

Thumbs down to represent planning objections.

Building Surveying: Exploring the Right to Light


In the world of building surveying, the “right to light” often crops up. Asides from sounding something like a catchy slogan from a ‘90s MTV commercial, this government-legislated easement (or law) was conceived to allow landowners the ‘right’ to receive natural light through openings and designated apertures in buildings on their land. In rural areas, this rarely poses an issue; in more built-up environs, however, and increasingly in the development of new build properties, it’s a whole different matter. The team here at Munday + Cramer offer extensive building surveying services across Essex, London and the Home Counties. We wanted […]

Building Surveying: Exploring the Right to Light

What Is A Party Wall Survey?


Party wall issues are as common as they are frustrating. For something as seemingly innocuous as the dividing wall between properties, the disputes which often arise can be both fractious and ill-tempered. In any dispute pertaining to party wall issues, a party wall survey is needed, undertaken by trained building surveyors. The team here at Munday + Cramer, who offer a comprehensive range of building surveying services across the south-east and home counties, wanted to look at these issues in a little more detail. What Are Party Walls? First, though, what actually are party walls? Well, they’re partitioning walls between […]

What Are Party Wall Surveys?

Architectural Design News: RIBA Cracks Down On Unpaid Overtime


There have been several high-profile news stories over the past couple of years, where whistle-blowers have lifted the lid on so-called ‘crunch culture’ within the world of video game development. The premise is as easy to understand as it is uncomfortable to digest; it revolves around employees being expected to work huge quantities of unpaid overtime as a matter of course, usually also to the detriment of both their mental and physical health. Whilst the term ‘crunch culture’ might be relatively new, however, the concept isn’t. The architectural world has long been complicit in this demanding workplace culture, especially amongst […]

Building Surveying: Taking A Look At Roofing Works


Roofs. They’re often the most forgotten about parts of buildings, but when you think about it, they’re also arguably the most important. Keeping out the elements, the humble roof, whether flat or pitched, tiled or decked, plays an integral role in keeping the outside out and the inside in. Here at Munday + Cramer, a multidisciplinary practice based in Essex, our building surveying team regularly works on re-roofing and roof repair projects. We wanted to explain why roofs are so prone to issues, and what exactly those issues in question are. Why Do Roofs Require Such Regular Work? First, though, […]

A model house to represent building surveying work on roofs